Limerick Township Parks and Recreation Camp Shamrock Parent Information Packet Dear Parents/Guardians: Welcome to Camp Shamrock Summer Camp! Thank you in advance for choosing Limerick Township Parks and Recreation. This handbook contains important information regarding camp, please read it in its entirety. Our Camp Shamrock program will be hosted at Brooke Elementary School. Camp will operate for 8 weeks, Monday through Friday (with the exception of 7/4), from 9am to 4pm with the Extended Care option of 8am to 5pm. Camp Shamrock is open to children who are entering 1 st through 4 th grade of the 2018 school year. All trips must be pre-registered for at the Parks & Recreation office, located in the Limerick Township Building, the Monday prior the trip. New! Trip registrations will be accepted at the camp site on Monday s from 8am to 9:30am ONLY. If you have any questions regarding Camp Shamrock, please feel free to contact Angela Russell, Director of Parks and Recreation, at 610-495-6432 or arussell@limerickpa.org. Our #1 goal is to make sure your child has a safe and fun summer with LTP&R! We are looking forward to a great season. See you at camp! Camp Shamrock Staff
GENERAL CAMP INFORMATION Camp Shamrock is designed for children who are entering 1 st grade through 4 th grade. Each week is different with a variety of carefully planned activities including arts and crafts, organized games, off-site trips and special events. Campers are grouped by age and have an Assistant Site Supervisor and campers assigned to them to lead age appropriate activities. Camp Shamrock runs Monday through Friday at Brooke Elementary School gym, cafeteria and playground area. Camp hours are 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Extended Hours Program is available from 8:00 am to 9:00 am in the morning and 4:00 5:00 pm in the afternoon. Camp Shamrock will be CLOSED on July 4 th due the Holiday. Parents are reminded that our staff supervision is during camp hours only. Please be sure to pick-up and drop-off your children at the stated times. All registered campers will receive a Camp Shamrock t-shirt to wear for camp. If you are interested in purchasing extra camp shirts, they can be bought at the Parks & Recreation office for $8.00 a shirt. STAFFING The Camp Shamrock site is managed by a qualified staff of Site Supervisors, Assistant Site Supervisors, Camp Counselors and Counselors In Training Volunteers (CITs). All members of the Camp Shamrock staff are trained to provide quality care for our campers. All staff members have obtained successful criminal background checks, child abuse clearances and FBI clearances. All staff has completed a screening process that meets the requirements set forth by the Limerick Township Parks & Recreation Department and all staff members are required to attend an in-service training orientation. All Supervisors are CPR and First Aid certified. The camp program and staff are supervised by Angela Russell, Director of Parks and Recreation. CAMP RULES & REGULATIONS Your child should wear comfortable clothing and sneakers each day. Open toe/open heel shoes are not permitted. Children will get dirty at camp, please dress them accordingly. Children are responsible for helping to keep the school and playground areas clean. They are expected to clean up after lunch, snacks and crafts. Please keep in mind that we are guests at the SFSD Brooke Elementary School. Children are expected to use appropriate playground structures and equipment as they are intended. Rules for use will be explained each Monday to all campers. Children may be prohibited from using the structure or equipment if problems persist. Camp staff will be monitoring bathroom breaks as well as supervising bathroom facilities from the outside. All campers need to be able to use the restrooms unassisted. Children must listen to the staff at all times; failure to do so may result in removal from camp.
On hot days, children may be participating in water activities, such as water balloons, sponge relays, etc. Please have your child wear their bathing suit under their clothes. These will be clearly marked on the white board near the sign in/out table. Backpacks are permitted at camp but we suggest that anything valuable be left at home. We are not responsible if something is stolen or lost, but we will make every effort to prevent it. Please make sure any and all items are clearly labeled with your child s name. The following list of items is prohibited at camp: IPods/mp3 players/ IPads Video games (Gameboy/DS/DSi) Knives/weapons of any kind Toy guns Cell phones* *It is recommended cell phones are left at home. The Site Supervisor has access to a phone if parents need to be contacted. If a parent or guardian needs to contact their child or camp staff for any reason, please contact the Parks & Recreation Department at 610-495-6432. If a child must bring a cell phone, their cell phone must remain in the camper s backpack during camp hours. Campers are not permitted to carry cell phones during camp hours nor on field trips. If a child brings any prohibited items to camp, the item will be confiscated and returned to his/her parent at the end of the day. These items are banned in order to eliminate any disruption or safety concerns that may arise from their use. Lost & Found items will be kept in a Lost & Found bin at the camp site. If items are not claimed by the end of camp, all items will be donated. BEHAVIOR ISSUES Limerick Township Parks and Recreation takes behavior issues very seriously and has protocols to deal with situations involving misbehavior. Appropriate behavior is expected of all participants during the summer camp programs. Respectful interactions between program participants and staff are essential to having a successful program experience. Bullying, fighting, inappropriate behavior/language and continual disregard for camp policies and procedures will not be tolerated. Camp staff will do their best to redirect any misbehavior and resolve any issues to achieve a positive outcome for all involved. If positive outcomes cannot be achieved, or if a camper exhibits continuous disruptive behavior, Limerick Township reserves the right to suspend or dismiss the camper from the program without refund. Please keep in mind that Limerick Township Parks and Recreation reserves the right to change our behavior procedures based on the severity of the incident. REFUND POLICY No refunds will be issued for camp cancellations unless requests are made in writing prior to 14 days of the start of the camp program. After this date, no refunds will be issued. All refunds are subject to a $10 administrative fee. No refunds are given for field trips.
Limerick Township Parks and Recreation Department DISCIPLINE INFRACTION GRID Name: Age: OFFENSE 1 2 3 Drugs, Alcohol IMMEDIATE REMOVAL FROM CAMP (No refund) Sexual Harassment Disrespect towards staff Fighting Bullying Cursing Inappropriate behavior Breaking camp, trip and playground rules / / Parent Initial Write Up & Phone Call Date, Time, Staff Initial Parent Initial Write Up, Loss of Privilege, Discussion of removal Date, Time, Staff Initial Parent Initial Immediate removal from camp Date, Time, Staff Initial Parent Initial Limerick Township Parks & Recreation reserves the right to change or alter the above procedures based on the severity of each individual incident.
DAILY LUNCH INFORMATION Children are responsible for bringing their own lunch and refillable water bottle every day. It is recommended that they have an insulated lunch bag as there is no refrigeration available. Bags must be clearly marked with your child s name and group name. Each day campers will have a break for lunch and two snacks. Every Wednesday will be Pizza Party Wednesday. The cost for the Pizza Party is $5.00 and includes 2 slices of pizza, 1 juice drink and 1 snack (chips, pretzels, etc.). This is not mandatory, just a special treat we offer for the campers. Sign-up sheets will be available at your camp site, and must be handed in by the end of the camp day on Tuesday. No exceptions. Every Friday will be Pretzel Friday. The cost is $1 per pretzel. This is not mandatory, just a special treat we offer for the campers. Sign-up sheets will be available at your camp site and must be handed in by the end of camp on Thursday. No exceptions. SIGN IN & SIGN OUT PROCEDURES In the interests of extended safety for all our campers, Camp Shamrock has sign in and sign out procedures for camp. The system is simple, but will require the cooperative efforts of parents and staff. The idea is to assure that the proper person picks up the proper camper(s) each day. Each camp group will be assigned to a sign in table for all camp day starts/ends. This is where all parents should drop-off & pick-up their campers each day. Each parent must show a driver s license when picking up their child. The name on the ID must match with the parent name on the registration form. Each parent MUST walk their camper to the sign in table and sign them in. No camper is allowed to sign themselves in or out of camp. If someone other than the parent on the registration form is picking up your camper, a note MUST be sent in. This person must also show ID when picking up. NO CAMPERS WILL BE RELEASED UNLESS PROPER AND CORRECT IDENTIFICATION IS PRESENTED. NO EXCEPTIONS. Thank you for helping us keep your camper safe. We appreciate your understanding that there will be no exceptions to this procedure. For car pools, it is suggested that days be divided, rather than dividing up drop-offs and pick-ups each day. PICK UP AND DROP OFF TIMES Regular Camp Hours run Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 4:00pm. The Extended Hours program runs Monday through Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm. Please note that Extended Hours are ONLY for campers who are registered for these hours and will be charged an additional fee if dropped off early or picked up late.
If you are interested in the Extended Hours program, please stop by the Parks and Recreation Office at the Limerick Township Building and register for the Extended Hours program. IT HAPPENS LATE PICK-UP FEES We understand that sometimes extenuating circumstances prohibit a parent from picking up a child on time. However, we are also concerned with fairness to our staff members. With this in mind, the following DAILY LATE PICK-UP FEES will be charged: REGULAR CAMP HOURS 4:00 4:05 pm NO CHARGE 4:06-4:10 pm $5 per car 4:11-4:15 pm $10 per car 4:16-4:20 pm $15 per car 4:21-4:25 pm $20 per car 4:30 pm & later $30 +$1/min. thereafter per car EXTENDED CAMP HOURS 5:00 5:05 NO CHARGE 5:06 5:10 pm $5 per car 5:11-5:15 pm $10 per car 5:16-5:20 pm $15 per car 5:21-5:25 pm $20 per car 5:30 pm & later $30 +$1/min. thereafter per car 1 st incident: fees will be charged after 15 min.; must be paid before child is permitted to return to site. 2 nd & 3 rd incidents: fees charged as published; must be paid before child is permitted to return to site. 4 th incidents: child is dismissed from the program with no refund of registration fees. ABSENCES Notifying LTP&R of an absence is not required. We do ask if your child is absent due to a contagious condition, please notify the office so that other parents can be notified that their child may have been exposed. If your child has been ill, we require them to stay home for at least 24 hours after the symptoms have subsided. Please help us keep our campers and staff safe by keeping your camper home if they re not feeling well. NOTE: There will be no fee reduction or reimbursement for absences. WEATHER ALERT!! If there is rain or a high heat index, camp will still go on. Activities will take place indoors.
MEDICAL INFORMATION It is extremely important that we have all necessary medical information concerning your child. The responsibility for administering medications rests with the camper s legal parent or guardian. No camp staff is permitted to administer medication. It is important that all medication be taken at home. No medication is to be sent to camp unless it is a prescription drug for preventive reasons or emergency conditions such as seizures, heart conditions, asthma, bee stings or allergy conditions. These preventive or emergency medications may be sent to camp if the rules listed below are followed: 1. Note from the doctor stating name of medication, how it is to be given, amount, time and diagnosis of illness. The medication must have the prescription label on the container. 2. Note from the parent or legal guardian giving approval for the medication to be administered by the camper under staff supervision. 3. For emergency conditions such as bee sting reaction, the Site Supervisor will call the parents/guardians. All medical information is kept strictly confidential. SUNCREEN Please apply sunscreen to your child daily. We request sunscreen be sent to camp daily, labeled with your child s name. Staff members are not permitted to apply lotion to children. All groups take several water breaks and to reapply sunscreen throughout the day. Please speak to your child how important it is to reapply at each break as they spend a great amount of time each day outdoors. Also, take time before camp starts to practice with your child how and where (back of neck, face, etc.) to apply sunscreen correctly. FIELD TRIP INFORMATION All campers are invited to participate in Field Trips, but it is not mandatory. If a camper is not registered for a trip, they will stay at the camp site and have a regular camp day. Limerick Township Parks & Recreation requires the campers to wear their camp shirts on days of field trips, for safety and security purposes. Campers are not permitted on trips without their t-shirts. If you are interested in ordering extra camp shirts, they can be ordered at the Parks & Recreation office for $8.00 a shirt. ALL TRIPS MUST BE PAID IN FULL AT THE PARK AND RECREATION OFFICE, IN THE LIMERICK TOWNSHIP BUILDING, THE MONDAY PRIOR TO THE TRIP. Trip forms and payments will be accepted at the camp site on Monday s from 8am to 9:30am ONLY. Field trips are scheduled to leave at various times from the camp site. Please be sure that your camper is on time for camp if they are going on a scheduled field trip. If it is time to leave for the trip and your child is not present at camp, we will assume they will not be attending the trip that day. Campers must have paid and have a registration form/permission slip on file to attend the trip. Refunds are not given for trips.
Campers must bring a brown bagged lunch, if lunch is not included in trip. This will be noted on the white board near the sign in table. Please no insulated bags on field trip days. Camp staff is not responsible for any items brought on trips. This includes cell phones, backpacks, money, etc. Please advise your child not to bring any more than $20.00 with them on field trips. If a camper has a sibling in Shamrock Adventures that has a field trip that is leaving prior to 9am and is not registered for Extended Care, they cannot be dropped off at Camp Shamrock prior to 9am unless paying the daily rate of $10. Please notify the Site Supervisor in advance if you will be registering for Extended Care. SWIMMING TRIPS: All campers must be able to swim on their own to attend the swimming trips. Any type of flotation device is not permitted on a swim trip. Rules for the trip will be explained prior to departure. Children are expected to behave properly on all trips. Failure to do so may result in loss of privileges. NOTE: Parents may not drop their child off at a field trip location under any circumstances. EMAIL ADDRESSES On Thursdays, a weekly camp flyer will be e-mailed to the e-mail address provided on the registration form. If you have not provided us with an email address, please do so as soon as possible to keep updated! CAMP SHAMROCK MEET & GREET Camp Shamrock Meet and Greet will be held at Brooke Elementary School on the Friday before the start of camp, 5:00 pm until 6:30pm. Feel free to stop by the camp site regardless of what weeks your child is registered to attend. All staff will be on hand and activities will be ready to enjoy. Ask questions and get acquainted. This is our way of showing how committed we are to your child s well being and comfort during summer camp. ** Children must be registered at the site in order to attend the Meet & Greet.